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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355189">Envy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkDippedFingertips/pseuds/InkDippedFingertips'>InkDippedFingertips</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just You and Me and the Grief [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia is Too Old, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Immortal Wives Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Nightmares, Short &amp; Sweet, Tired Andy | Andromache of Scythia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:21:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkDippedFingertips/pseuds/InkDippedFingertips</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Andromache does not know what to do with the anger that burns through her once she dreams of Yusuf and Nicolò. It feels unjust, like they are taunting her years of loneliness.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just You and Me and the Grief [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Envy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andromache woke with the taste of blood in her mouth and a heaviness lying thickly over her heart. Her fingers were curled around the hilt of her axe, the leather wrappings rough against her callouses, the other hand dug deep into the dirt beneath her. Licking her lips, she stared into the darkness of the night, the trees crowded close on their makeshift camp and waited for the sensations to fade away.</p>
<p>It did not take long, the man’s death had been quick, a blade through his chest just as his own arm rose to cut the throat of the man who’d dealt the killing blow. There had been little skill to the scuffle, a reluctance in the man’s movements that spoke of his dislike for the fight. A curious thought when she noticed the red cross plastered to his front, nearly indistinguishable in the gore of the battle.</p>
<p>Releasing a heavy breath, she sat up slowly, glanced over her shoulder to be certain Quynh still slept soundly. She knew it would not last long, so she got to work coaxing their fire, which had dwindled to little more then ashes, back to some semblance of life. More firewood was needed but she was loathed to leave Quynh unguarded knowing how disorienting the dreams would be when she first woke.</p>
<p>For now, it would be fine as it was.</p>
<p>Andromache settled herself next to Quynh’s sleeping form and tried to make sense of the unease that settled in her stomach like a stone. Unlike with Quynh, this man’s location was easy enough to determine, what with war raging around him and the nature of his blade, let alone the clothes he wore. This Holy War, as it was so called, certainly did not confine itself to one place, one city but it should be easy enough to follow the destruction it left behind.</p>
<p>Then again, she thought of the man’s expression when he was finally struck down, the uncertainty in the depths of his too bright eyes, it seemed entirely possible that upon the realization of his immortality, he may abandon the war all together. It would be the wisest course of action and whether or not he took it would be revealed soon enough, she was sure.</p>
<p>The plans slowly unraveled themselves in her mind, the roads they should take and the places to avoid if they wanted to stand a chance of crossing paths with the man. He would certainly not think to search for the women in his dreams for some time yet and the sooner they found him the better. Still, Andromache found herself unmotivated to put them into practice, an old sadness overtaking her heart as thoughts of Lykon plagued her.</p>
<p>She was not certain she was prepared for another immortal, for another person to whom she’d give the power to break her heart.</p>
<p>A small sound came from beside her, pulling Andromache from her head. Quynh’s expression had scrunched up into something decidedly unpleasant, her mouth opening in such away as to suggest she too could taste the blood of the man’s death. Reaching for Quynh’s waterskin, she held it at the ready as her lover sat up abruptly, hand gripping her own throat as she gagged on the sensation.</p>
<p>“Quynh?”</p>
<p>She shook her head, eyes stinging as she gagged again and Andromache reached up with the waterskin herself, pressing it to Quynh’s lips and holding it there while she gulped down the water greedily. Andromache held her steady, one hand tipping the water and the other braced on the back of her head to make sure she did not choke on it.</p>
<p>It was strange for Quynh to react so violently to a relatively simple death, the wound to the man’s chest hardly gruesome compared to their years in battle. Finally, the water was pushed away, and Andromache abandoned it while she watched her lover drag deep gasping breaths into her lungs.</p>
<p>“Quynh?”</p>
<p>“I’m okay, I’m okay.”</p>
<p>Brushing back her hair Andromache gripped Quynh’s chin and forced her to meet her eyes, “focus, what did you see?”</p>
<p>“I saw a man die and return to life just as we had. He was surrounded by bodies, in the midst of a war I think…and one of the invaders slit his throat, causing him to choke on his own blood…though he managed to kill him first I think.”</p>
<p>Andromache stared at her, uncomprehendingly as a slow smile slid over Quynh’s features, a familiar excitement in her eyes, “it looks like we have a new little brother Andy!” She did not seem to notice anything wrong. “What did you see? You always catch more details then I do.”</p>
<p>It seemed impossible that Quynh could get it all so wrong, even with her limited experience with the dreams, the visions. No, that uneasy feeling in her stomach turned into something sour and nauseating, “Quynh, what did he look like?”</p>
<p>Her tone must have given it away because the excitement in Quynh’s face faded, her expression turning serious as it did when they discussed strategy, when they discussed their pasts, when they discussed Lykon.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter? Speak to me Andy,” her voice was intense, brooking no argument but Andromache could not bring herself to speak plainly.</p>
<p>“Tell me what he looked like, the man you saw in your dream,” she tried to keep the tumultuous emotion from her voice, tried to hide it beneath the command and still she knew she failed miserably from the way Quynh’s brows furrowed.</p>
<p>Regardless, her lover humored her, “he seemed to be from…where is that war right now? Jerusalem? He had a thick beard and well there wasn’t much else to be seen beneath all the blood,” Quynh seemed to be searching for words before settling and finishing confidently, “he seemed kind, he had intelligent eyes and those lines around them that comes from a man who is used to smiling.”  </p>
<p>She was attempting to lift the mood with a common pass time of hers, pointing out strangers on the road and in crowded marketplaces, claiming their personalities through their expressions and their eyes. Usually Andromache would be amused, would find it endearing that she already sought to connect with the new immortal in their midst but all she felt in this moment…was cold.</p>
<p>“This can’t happen,” she muttered, standing abruptly.</p>
<p>“Andromache?!”</p>
<p>The sudden wave of rage that went through her was startling, a sensation that usually reserved itself for the battlefield and skirmishes. Her hands clenched into fists and a scream tore itself from her throat as she kicked at the fire, sending sparks and wood and ash scattering into the night air, rolling across the dirt.</p>
<p>Quynh was on her feet in an instant, her eyes that typically held such love now shadowed with something akin to fear. Andromache knew the fear wasn’t of her, no she feared for her and in some ways that was far worse.</p>
<p>From between clenched teeth, Andromache spit out her next words, “did you see him wake up? Did you see him actually open his eyes or did you only see his death?”</p>
<p>Quynh’s hands were slightly raised as though she were seeking to tame a wild animal, which was exactly how Andromache felt, unmoored and uncontrollable, “I did. His throat was cut, and he died. The wound healed fairly quickly, and he opened his eyes.”</p>
<p>Her breathing grew harsh and she turned away from her lover, trying to hide the shaking in her limbs as she pillaged her own memory, hoping against hope that she hadn’t seen the man wake. Of course, that was foolish and there was no way they were mistaking the same man. The one she had dreamed of was pale and with blue eyes as clear as the waters of the Mediterranean. He had not looked kind and he did not have anything to indicate he smiled often, if anything he seemed far too old for the young age he presented. She watched the light flee from those eyes and in some ways death had settled over him like it belonged there, like it was a gift being granted…and then she watched him awaken with a soft gasp, those eyes blinking in the harsh desert light and looking unspeakably sad and confused.</p>
<p>There was no mistake.</p>
<p>A familiar hand ghosted across Andromache’s shoulders, gentle as it settled on the back of her neck in a touch that was meant to be grounding. It was followed, a moment later by lips she knew better then her own, pressing themselves against the skin of her back, an arm curling around her waist, seeking a way to steady her.</p>
<p>Andromache slumped in her embrace, tears welling shamefully in her eyes, “there are two,” she managed to choke out. “Two new immortals. They killed each other in the war, and it seems they came to life by each other’s side as well.”</p>
<p>Quynh said nothing for a long time, simply held her, her presence steady and patient as it always was, and Andromache felt the loneliness that clung to her slip away a little at a time. She was still angry, still furious at this revelation and she knew it was petty in nature but it did not erase the tears that threatened to spill or the way she wished she believed in a God just so she could kill him again and again.</p>
<p>Two new immortals, two men who died and awoke at each other’s side. Enemies or not, there was no space for their hostility in this new life and they would never experience the agony of wandering the world, its strangeness, their new life, completely and utterly alone. She should not hate them for that, she didn’t, not really, they certainly had not choice in the whole thing, and yet it seems like the ultimate injustice.</p>
<p>Why had she been cursed for so long? Why had she been forced to wait centuries to discover another like her, to find someone she could trust and keep by her side? Now, she was to find these men and teach them…something that was inevitable and necessary and pretend she did not envy them for not bearing the scars of solitude upon their souls.</p>
<p>“I know,” Quynh’s voice was soft and intense, tucked into the space between Andromache’s shoulder and neck. “I know.”</p>
<p>She did, she always did. Quynh understood how deeply her pain went, had discovered each mark it had left on her over the years and had taken such gentle care to sooth it, to ensure that she would never feel that way again.</p>
<p>“You are not alone Andromache. You will never be alone so long as I am by your side. You, my love, will not walk this path alone and now we have been gifted two more brothers to make certain you do not.”</p>
<p>Turning in Quynh’s arms, Andromache took her face between her palms and simply looked upon her for a long moment, took in the adoration hidden in the depths of her eyes and let herself drown in the gentleness of her touch.</p>
<p>She was not alone.</p>
<p>She would never be alone again.</p>
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